'Russian spy whale' found by Norway off Arctic coast

A beluga whale found off Norway's coast wearing a Russian harness most likely escaped from the Russian navy, according to a Norwegian expert.

Fishermen in waters near the Norwegian fishing village of Inga reported last week that a white "beluga whale" wearing a strange harness had begun to harass their fishing boats, and a video of the whale has since emerged.

The unusual harness — which appeared to be able to secure a camera or a weapon — was sporting a buckle that read “Equipment of St. Petersburg.”

Professor Audun Rikardsen, a professor at the Department of Arctic and Marine Biology at the Arctic University of Norway, told the BBC that the harness "was attached really tightly round its head, in front of its pectoral fins and it had clips".

"A Russian colleague said they don't do such experiments, but she knows the navy has caught belugas for some years and trained them - most likely it's related to that," he also said.

It was not clear what the whale was being trained for, or whether it was part of Russian military activity in the region.

Whatever the whale is, it's very cute...